On Thursday, November 29th at 2:00 pm, The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing regarding the federal response to autism over the past decade. EBCALA, SafeMinds and many individual parents have worked hard to make this happen. Our understanding is that two panels are scheduled – one of government witnesses and one of public witnesses, including SafeMinds.

Do you think the federal government is doing enough about autism?

Do you think the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee has helped your family?

Do you think federal policies have prevented new cases of autism?

Have you seen results from the government’s hundreds of millions of dollars in research spending?

If you answered “No” to these questions, here’s what you can do to help:

Attend the hearing if possible. Bring your child or children if you can. Let’s try to make the hearing “standing room only”. Be visible.

Contact your Congressman right now. Committee members and contact info are listed here – http://safeminds.org/government-affairs/hearing-contacts.html and it is critical that they attend the hearing. If yours is on the list, make sure you contact their office (leave a message) and ask that they attend. Other Representatives can be found here – http://www.house.gov/representatives/find. Ask them to attend the hearing and stay for the entire meeting. If they cannot, ask them to send staff. If you are going to Washington, ask for an office meeting, before or after the hearing, to talk about your family’s needs and concerns. Or meet with them Thanksgiving week when they are home in your district. Remember they work for you and this is the first time in 10 years that Congress has provided oversight of autism activities. Encourage them to get involved in the House Autism Caucus long term.

Ask your Representative to make sure this is the first of numerous hearings investigating autism and affiliated issues. We don’t just want attention, we want solutions! This is especially critical if your Representative is on the committee. We need new champions to carry on after Congressman Burton retires.

Individuals and organizations are able to submit written testimony to the hearing. If you are a member of a local autism organization, encourage them to participate by submitting a written statement. Statements become part of the formal record of the hearing. To submit testimony, you may fax it directly to the Committee at (202) 225-3974, or e-mail it to Beth Clay at beth@bethclay.com and she will ensure it is delivered to the Committee.

Ask C-Span to televise the hearing. Call 202-737-3220 and politely ask that they televise the hearing on C-Span 3 which covers hearings. Tell them that this is an important issue that deserves more attention and why it affects you personally.

Thank Congressman Burton for his advocacy over the years and for pushing for this hearing to happen by sending him an e-mail here: http://burton.house.gov/contacts/new or calling his office at 202-225-2276. You may also fax him at his Indiana Office at (317) 846-7306 or his DC office at Fax: (202) 225-0016

Stay tuned for more updates including the names of those who are testifying, materials to share with your Representatives and further details.